ERCOT's Board Gave Heavily to House Members

As the Texas House investigates the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), Lobby Watch finds that powerful energy interests seated on ERCOT’s board gave heavily to House members. Is a House that receives $700,000 in ERCOT-related mortgage payments more forgiving of catastrophic blackouts?

 

Read the new Lobby Watch.

The Old Green Deal: Oil & Gas Industry Abbott's Top Political Donor

Following Gov. Abbott's attempts to blame recent catastrophic power failures on renewable energy, TPJ finds that the oil and gas industry is Abbott's No. 1 contributor. It supplied 19 percent of the $87.3 million that Abbott raised since January 2017. Electric utility interests contributed more than $1 million more, with contributors who specialize in renewable power supplying just a trickle of that money.

Track this fundraising grid at the new Lobby Watch.

TPJ & Sierra Club Investigate Oil and Gas Industry Clout

TPJ is engaged in a joint research project with the Sierra Club’s Lone Star Chapter to explore oil & gas industry influence in Texas.  The organizations will publish a series of major reports to document and expose the political clout of Texas oil and gas interests on our elected legislators, regulators and statewide officials.  The reports will be published in the Spring.

Who Does John Cornyn Work For?

The Texas Observer's Justin Miller takes a
deep dive into Senator John Cornyn.

Read Miller's article at the Texas Observer.

Paxton Criminal Trial Lingers (again).

 From the TexasTribune:

Texas AG Ken Paxton's criminal case likely to face further delays as attorneys revive fights over venue, prosecutor pay

 Read the article by the Tribune's Emma Platoff.

Revolving door spins at Abbott's office

Asher Price reports at the Austin American-Statesman on how a top Abbott aide became one of Texas' highest paid lobbyists. 

Read Asher's article at the Statesman. 

Influence Texas app updatedfor 86th Legislative Session

Free wep app tracks money and bills...

Influence Texas OS Version 2 is now available.  The open source app uses TPJ data to track who gave how much to Texas lawmakers.  The app also allows users to track the bills those lawmakers are sponsoring.

Users can now track top contributors from the most recent election cycle and share the info on social media.  Influence Texas OS provides easy access to bills that each lawmaker has sponsored , allowing users to independently assess financial influence in the legislative process.

Access the app and learn more at Influence Texas.

TPJ Complaint Leads to $35,000 Fine for Ted Cruz

Following formal complaints from TPJ and the Campaign Legal Center the Federal Campaign Commission (FEC) fined the Cruz campaign $35,000 for failure to disclose over $1 million in loans from Citibank and Goldman Sachs during his 2012 senate campaign.

Read the story at the New York Times. 
TPJ filed its complaint with the FEC in January 2016.  

Texas 'tort dodgers' group supporting bill to muffle the speech of business critics.

Bill on Frivolous Lawsuits Draws an Unlikely Ally
Austin American-Statesman, by Sean Walsh.

The mission of Texans for Lawsuit Reform, a powerful tort reform group that donates millions of dollars to Republicans, is to make the state more business-friendly by promoting legislation that cracks down on frivolous lawsuits.

Read the article at the Statesman.

Governor Abbott Never Stops Fundraising

The Associated Press' Paul Weber reports that Governor Greg Abbott has taken in $120 million in campaign cash, more than any governor in U.S. history.

Read the complete story at the AP.